Macduff shows his loyalty to Scotland by going to England to support Malcolm even though his family is in danger. 1. After Rosse leaves, murderers break in and kill Lady Macduff and all her children. It could also symbolise treachery and the violence of battle.A bloody child tells Macbeth that no one born from a woman can harm him. The Witches entering with Thunder could represent how they destroy Macbeth like a strom wrecks a ship. Her words also implicitly gives judgement on her husband and how he has left her and his family defenceless:Wisdom! Powered by WordPress. 2. Scene ii. In Scene 3, Malcolm deliberately lies to Macduff. Macduff does not appear to have realized that Macbeth couldn't stop killing. The scene opens with Lady Macduff being deeply agitated. No. / I dare abide no longer" (4.2.73-74), "why then, alas, / Do I put up that womanly defence, / To say I have done no harm?" They share some jokes, which makes their relationship seem loving and close, and makes the scene moving. Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead and was a traitor, but he teases her and knows it is not true. Yes, because Malcolm’s testing of Macduff shows that he could be a better king that Duncan, who was too trusting of those around him. Why does Malcolm not trust Macduff at first? Macbeth visits the Witches and they summon three apparitions. She thinks Macduff is a coward. —Lady Macduff and her son joke about Macduff being dead. "What had he done, to make him fly the land?" Macduff intends to return and does, once Malcom realizes that Macduff is loyal to him. Ross leaves at night and soon after that, Lady Macduff and her son are murdered. (4.2.78-80), "I hope, in no place so unsanctified / Where such as thou mayst find him" (4.2.81-82), "Thou liest, thou shag-ear'd villain!" When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s castle be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered. Macduff seems to behave as the traitor he is accused of being. Lady Macduff worries about why her husband has fled to England. Enter Lady Macduff, her Son, and Ross. Macduff is in England to see Malcolm and to persuade him to come back to Scotland. Sadly she notes that her son is fathered, yet he's now fatherless. Rosse has come to see Lady Macduff and they talk about why Macduff has left his family to go to England. She feels angry, scared and betrayed because Macduff has abandoned his family to go to England. murderer calls Macduff a coward as an offense to Lady The _____ Macduff and her son. How does Shakespeare reuse the metaphor a ship and a sailor? This contrasts how Lady Macbeth claims that she would have ‘dashed the brains out’ of her own child – another example of how the Macduffs are quite opposite to the Macbeths.Their long dialogue also makes their murder seem even more treacherous, and so emphasises Macbeth’s evil. 1 Questions & Answers Place. At Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff accosts Ross, demanding to know why her husband has fled. Before the scene opens in Act 4 Scene 2, Ross has told Lady Macduff that her husband has fled from Scotland. Why do you think Shakespeare chose to include the Macduffs’ murder in the play? Malcolm tells Macbeth that he’s honest, grateful and god-fearing – good qualities for a king. Why does lady Macduff think her husband has left England? Why does Lady Macduff think her husband left England? Though Lady Macduff's appearance is limited to this scene, her role in the play is quite significant. All she knows is that he has gone, and left her and his children undefended. Rosse enters and tells Macduff that his family has been murdered. An armoured head warns Macbeth about Macduff. The entry of another messenger increases the urgency of the scene. (4.2.83). She demands to know why Macduff has gone to England, leaving her behind. Describe Lady Macduff’s feelings about her husband in Scene 2. Edward had divine gifts, which also contrasts the evil, supernatural Witches.Like Macbeth, Malcolm tries to disguise his true nature, but to protect Scotland, not for his own gain.Like the Macbeths, Malcolm thinks masculinity means being aggressive. In Act 4, Macbeth decides that he’ll act without hesitating – ‘From this moment, the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand’. The scene turns to Macduff's castle where Lady Macduff is livid because her husband has left her and their son to go to England. One of them tells Macbeth to be careful of Macduff, so Macbeth decides to have him killed. Compare the character of Macbeth in Act 1 and at the end of Act 4, Scene 1. ... Lady Macduff is talking to Rosse about why Macduff has left his family to go to England. The first impression of Lady Macduff, however, presents her slightly out of place, as when she receives news that her husband has fled she responds, “His flight was madness. Exit Ross. Each apparition makes a prophecy about Macbeth’s future. Malcolm says ‘you have loved him well (you were good friends), he hath not touched you yet (he hasn’t hurt you yet)’, which would give Macduff reason to be a spy and so why Malcolm thinks Macduff might be rewarded for betraying him. How does Lady Macduff feel about her husband leaving her alone? Macbeth resolves to send murderers to capture Macduff’s castle and to kill Macduff’s wife and children. Why do you think Shakespeare includes a long diaologue between Lady Macduff and her son in Scene 2? Macduff's castle. How does Shakespeare make the Witches seem evil in Scene 1? Some of Banquo’s descendants carry orbs and sceptres to show that they will be rulers of England was well as Scotland, like King James. He wonders why he would leave his wife and kids at home. Macduff’s flight has also left his family vulnerable and unprotected. Yes, he’s changed. Lady Macduff's sole appearance was in Act 4 Scene 2. Why has he done this? A child wearing a crown and carrying a branch tells Macbeth that he can’t be defeated until Birnham Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. LADY MACDUFF The horrible list of ingredients of their potion such as ‘liver of blaspheming Jew’, ‘gall of goat’ and ‘finger of birth-strangled babe’ create a dark and menacing tone.Each apparition ‘descends’ after they’ve spoken, which suggests that they are returning to hell, which is an evil place. LADY MACBETH Was the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? To her, unlike Lady Macbeth, what makes of him a coward is leaving his family, while Lady Macbeth thinks that being a … This is dramatic irony because the audience knows that Macduff’s family have been murdered. Give reasons for your answer. They enter with Thunder.’Double, double toil and trouble’ reminds the audience of their evil intentions and the word ‘double’ implies double meanings.They are creating a vile potion, which reminds the audience that they are a force for evil in the play. Macbeth says ‘though the yeasty waves confound and swallow navigation up’, which extends the metaphor that Macbeth is a sailor and Scotland is a ship. We don’t really know. Ross says Macduff's flight could be the result of wisdom, not fear. LADY MACDUFF Wisdom! My husband is still gone in England to find Malcolm and I am still in Fife with my children. Malcolm not trusting Macduff also shows the fear and suspicion Macbeth has created. He said that Macduff has left in order to go to England. Left on their own, Lady Macduff and her son converse further on the subject of her husband's loyalty. Lady Macduff says that her husband does not love his family enough and she says she and her children feel abandoned. Lady Macbeth however, feels not only that her husband deserves a better place in life but also that by not working to attain that higher status he is a failure. Her only appearance in the play is in Act IV, Scene II, where she is shown she is talking to Ross, one of the Thanes. thou'ldst never fear the net nor lime" (4.2.34), "Was my father a traitor, mother?" to leave his wife, to leave his babes,His mansion, and his titles, in a placeFrom whence himself does fly?It is highlighted how with Macduff’s removal to England, Lady Macduff and his children are left in a very vulnerable position. She feels angry, scared and betrayed because Macduff has abandoned his family to go to England. She is demanding to know why he fled and is saying that fear may make a person flee and fleeing makes such a person look like a traitor even though they are not. (4.2.44), "Then the liars and swearers are fools, for there are liars and swearers enow, to beat the honest men and hang up them" (4.2.56-58), "If he were dead, you'ld weep for him: if you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father" (4.2.63), "To fright you thus, methinks, I am too savage" (4.2.70), "Heaven preserve you! Fife. Macduff contrasts this by saying he will ‘feel it as man’ – he thinks men are also sensitive. Ross reassures her that Macduff is ‘noble, wise, judicious’ but dares not tell her any more and leaves. His fleeing is madness because it makes him appear to be a traitor. How does Macduff prove his loyalty in Scene 3? The apparitions give Macbeth confidence because he thinks he’ll never be defeated because the predictions are impossible (although the Witches haven’t lied, they’ve deliberately misled Macbeth – another example of their deception).Macbeth wants to kill Macduff’s family just to be safe, which shows how evil and paranoid he’s become because he’s willing to kill anyone associated with his enemy even if they don’t pose a threat. Macbeth doesn’t discuss the murders with Lady Macbeth any more because he’s driven by his own ambition and trusts no one. He is part of the army that overthrows Macbeth. The noble Scotsman Ross had brought her news of her husband's flight from Scotland. In Macbeth, when Macbeth learns that Macduff fled to England, why does he immediately call an attack? Ross leaves and, in her anger, Lady Macduff tells her son that Macduff is dead. The Witches say ‘something wicked this way comes’ when they see Macbeth approaching, which shows that he is no longer an honourable hero of Act 1. —A messenger rushes in to tell Lady Macduff to run for her life, but right after him come the murderers, who kill the boy and his mother. In the end both stand up to some pretty nasty henchmen who come to kill them. He is … It is also a crucial part of the plot because it motivates Macduff to go kill Macbeth and end his cruel reign. 5. What orders has Macbeth already given concerning Macduff? This contrasts with how he worries about killing Duncan in Act 1. The branch could represent Birnham Wood and also the hope that Scotland might grow and flourish under Malcolm’s rule.Macbeth wants to know if the Witche’s prohecy about Banquo’s sons becoming kings is true, so they show him another vision of Banquo’s ghost and a line of his descendants. This could represent Macduff because he was born by Caesarean section. Macbeth takes the predictions at face value, even though he knows that people who trust the Witches are ‘damned’ because he’s desperate for them to give him good news to make him feel secure. Answered by Ashlyn G #600687 on 1/19/2017 11:18 PM Read a translation of Act 4, scene 1 → Summary: Act 4, scene 2. Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty by pretending to be more evil than Macbeth. She says he is a coward, afraid, and that he ran away to avoid what is going to happen. To what does Lady Macduff equate her husband fleeing to England? Lady Macduff is furious at her husband's abandonment-she calls him a traitor and a coward. SCENE II. Ross visits Lady Macduff to tell her that Macduff has fled to England. How does Shakespeare contrast the Macbeths in Act 4? What does Lady Macduff think Macduff’s flight was “madness”? 3. His wife certainly doesn’t know. Do you think he has changed? This could represent Malcolm, the rightful heir. Malcolm thinks that Macduff might be a spy, so he tests Macduff’s loyalty by telling him terrible things about himself. Lady Macduff has a close and loving relationship with her son, which contrasts Lady Macbeth when she claims she would have ‘dashed the brains out’ of her own child. (4.2.30-31), "With what I get, I mean; and so do they" (4.2.33), "Poor bird! Lady Macduff compares herself to a wren, a tiny powerless bird, protecting her nest from an owl (Macbeth). Macbeth 's Lady Macduff is the wife of Macduff and the mother of Macduff's Son. Lady Macduff is furious at her husband for fleeing the country without taking his family with him or even saying goodbye. Macduff feels her husband has deserted them and really, she kind of has a point. To her, Macduff has acted dishonestly, but her son, however naïve his view of the world, comforts her by his practical statement that the world is full of dishonest men. Lady Macduff is a character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth.She is married to Lord Macduff, the Thane of Fife.Her appearance in the play is brief: she and her son are introduced in Act IV Scene II, a climactic scene that ends with both of them being murdered on Macbeth's orders. Before the scene opens in Act 4 Scene 2, Ross has told Lady Macduff that her husband has fled from Scotland. Lady Macduff provides an example of a woman who generally stays within the bounds of her gender, serving as an appropriate foil to Lady Macbeth’s disorderly dissent. After Ross leaves, Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead, even though he heard the whole thing. The murderer calling Lady Macduff’s son ‘egg’ and ‘fry’ shows how young he is and therefore makes Macbeth’s decision to have them murdered more shocking because he is willing to kill defenceless children, emphasising his evil. Lady Macduff feels that Macduff does not love his family enough. What do you think is the purpose of including such a gory and terrible scene in the play? She didn't appear to know or think much of her husband. She tells her son it is left up to the mother to protect her young now, and that his father is dead. Macduff passes the test, saying that he won’t support another tyrant. This reminds the audience of the imagery used of the owl killing the falcon in Act 2, and shows how Macbeth is now killing defencless ‘prey’. ROSS You know not Whether it was his wisdom or his fear. lol :p). Lady Macbeth’s remarkable strength of will persists through the murder of the king—it is she who steadies her husband’s nerves immediately after the crime has been perpetrated. In England, why is Malcolm at first suspicious of Macduff? In act 4, scene 2 Lady Macduff has a conversation with Ross in which they discuss why Macduff fled, and left his wife and child behing, which her son hears. As for me, Lady Macduff, nothing new has occurred since my last entry. —Ross brings Lady Macduff the news that her husband has fled Scotland. Lady Macduff seems to be content to live her life as the wife of a thane with her health and her family. She says ‘to do harm is often laudable (something to be praised)’, which shows how the morals of Scotland have been upturned by Macbeth’s tyranny (against natural order). 3. Macbeth is angry and says ‘thy crown does sear mine eyeballs’. ROSS You must have patience, madam. What do the Witches’ apparitions say and what do they represent? This suggests that he may be more loyal to his country than his wife (the opposite of Macbeth).The scene starts mid-dialogue, which highlights her confusion at her husband’s leave.Her fear shows how afraid people are under Macbeth’s rule. What happens to Macduff’s family? Facts we learn about Ross at the start of the play: He is a Scottish thane. (4.2.1), "flight was madness: when our actions do not, / Our fears do make us traitors" (4.2.3-4), "He loves us not; / He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren, / The most diminutive of birds, will fight, / Her young ones in her nest, against the owl" (4.2.11), "when we are traitors / And do not know ourselves" (4.2.18-19), "we hold rumour / From what we fear, yet know not what we fear, / But float upon a wild and violent sea / Each way and none" (4.2.22), "Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherless" (4.2.27), "Sirrah, your father's dead; / And what will you do now? She thinks he did not love his family or her enough to stay. In this way, Macduff teaches Malcolm how to be a good man/king. What does Malcolm reveal to Macduff about Siward's plans? Later, he delivers the news to Macduff that his family have been murdered. Yes , she is left alone with no one to fight to protect herself and her son . Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Does Shakespeare suggest that Malcolm has the characteristics of a good king? It could also refer to Macbeth himself because his own ambition leads to his downfall, and he has changed so much that he is no longer considered human. The scene opens with Lady Macduff being deeply agitated. Macduff fled for a great purpose though, to try to save his country from a tyrant. Lady Macduff does not understand why her husband has abandoned his family. LADY MACDUFF He had none: His flight was madness: when our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors. Enter LADY MACDUFF, her Son, and ROSS LADY MACDUFF What had he done, to make him fly the land? Enter Messenger. It could foreshadow Macbeth’s decapitation. However, because he sends murderers, it’s also obvious that he’s too cowardly to commit the murders himself. However, I think Lady Macduff does so because she feels betrayed and sad that her husband left her to pursue his own selfish ambitions. Macbeth has just informed Lady Macbeth that he does not think they should kill Duncan. Lady Macduff did not like this message because, in her opinion, her husband is a coward for doing this. She feels that she and her children are being abandoned and Macduff will look like a traitor as he is leaving his family for his own safety. How do the apparitions’ predictions affect Macbeth and what does this show about his character? Lady Macduff calls her husband a traitor because he left _____ their castle unguarded and she is angry with him. Lady Macduff is a good woman who loves her husband and her family. How does Ross defend Macduff? I am worried about what Macbeth will do if Malcolm does return and they bring the English Army to defend the Scottish land. Malcolm’s loyalty to his country contrasts with Macbeth’s tyranny and betrayal. We know why he left Scotland; he has gone to England to ask for help against Macbeth (see Act III, sc vi). He tells Macduff to ‘dispute it like a man’. She is also upset by Macduff’s abandon, which suggests that he may be more loyal to his country than his wife (the opposite of Macbeth).King Edward of England is shown as a saintly king, whose touch can heal the sick, which contrasts Macbeth’s evil (whose touch can kill the living! Find answers now! The murder of Lady Macduff’s son happens on stage, showing how Macbeth no longer cares if people see/know about his terrible crimes. When her husband flees Scotland without a word to her, she does not know what to think. At Fife (Macduff 's castle), Lady Macduff is angry. Ross tells her to remain calm, reminding her that Macduff is wise and noble, and would not leave lest it was of utmost importance. Designed by GonThemes. How will you live?" Later in the same act, Ross had to tell Macduff the truth about his family. Macbeth was afraid of no man "not of woman born" not knowing or extending that analogy to c-sections and so felt he could do anything he wanted as the monster he had become. 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